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Harry Vardon born May 9, 1870 in Grouville,
Jersey, Channel Islands – died March 20,
1937 in Totteridge, Hertfordshire, England, was a
champion golfer.

As a child growing up on the island of Jersey,
Harry Vardon did not play much golf. Inspired by
his older brother Tom, he eventually took up the
game in his teens and at age 20 was so good, he
turned professional. The first professional golfer
to play in knickers, the "proper" Englishman
dressed in an uncomfortable shirt and tie with a
buttoned jacket. Nonetheless, within a few years
he became golf's first superstar.

In 1896, Harry Vardon won the first of his record
six The Open Championship|Open Championships.  In
1900, he became golf's first international
celebrity when he toured the United States playing
in more than 80 matches and capping it off with a
victory in the US Open (golf)|US Open. Twenty
years later, at the age of 50, Vardon was the
runner-up at the 1920 US Open.

During his career, Harry Vardon won 62 golf
tournaments. He popularized the grip that bears
his name, one still used by over 90 percent of
golfers. In his later years, Vardon became a golf
course architect, designing several courses in
Britain. Following a bout with tuberculosis, he
struggled with health problems for years but
turned to coaching and writing golf instruction
and inspirational books. After his death in 1937,
the PGA of America created the Vardon Trophy. It
is awarded annually to the player on the United
States tour with the year's lowest stroke average.

In 1974 Harry Vardon was chosen as one of the
initial group of inductees into the World Golf
Hall of Fame. His most prestigious medals,
including those from his six British Open
Championships, are on display in a tribute to him
at the Jersey Museum. In the annals of golf, Harry
Vardon is considered one of the greats of the
game.

Majors|Major tournament wins:
*US Open (golf)|US Open: 1900
*The Open Championship: 1896, 1898, 1899, 1903,
1911, 1914

Adapted from the article
http://www.wikinfo.org/wiki.phtml?title=Harry_Vard
on Harry Vardon, from Wikinfo, licensed under the
GNU Free Documentation License.

==See also==
*Golfers with most major championship wins

==External links==
*http://www.golfstarsonline.com/V/Harry_Vardon/
Golf Stars Online - links to features and profiles